


We Built Sandcastles

by foryoureyesonly1



Category: One Piece
Genre: Crocodile is luffy's mother, Crocomom, F/M, M/M, Nineteen Years Later, Post-Dressrosa, Reunion, ex-lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26953015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foryoureyesonly1/pseuds/foryoureyesonly1
Summary: They met on the backdrop of the death of the Pirate King. Two youths with dreams bigger than themselves, ready to take on the world. But their love story ended in tragedy, the world was far too cruel for happy endings.Nineteen years later, Luffy's parents meet again on a small island in the New World. It irks Crocodile to no end that even after he's changed so much, Dragon is still completely the same.*Set between Dressrosa and the Reverie*
Relationships: Crocodile/Monkey D. Dragon
Comments: 8
Kudos: 81





	We Built Sandcastles

**Author's Note:**

> This is for all those who subscribe to the Crocomom theory. I had fun writing this, as I don't usually do one shots.

It is definitely not the kid meeting him.

That much is clear even in the darkness of the night.

For one thing, the kid is much shorter and smaller compared to the man whose back Crocodile is looking at right now. The kid's hair is blonde, not the large, untidy mass of black hair the man in front of him has. The kid favours the colour blue, and hats, unlike the long dark coat this man is wearing. And of course, the kid would not be able to make Crocodile's heart beat like he is scared for his life, for the first time in years.

"I thought I was supposed to be meeting Sabo." Crocodile says the first words that he can think of.

And then Dragon turns around to face him. The wind, as always, favours him as it blows his hair back leaving the tattoos in full view. The face is older, with a few wrinkles here and there, but otherwise, he hasn't changed at all since the last time Crocodile saw him.

"He was delayed in Dressrosa. This is an important mission, so I came myself."

_His voice hasn't changed either._

The emotions that immediately overcome Crocodile are familiar and scary at the same time, but he's no longer a small girl mesmerized by man with a bigger dream than she had, a man with a bigger focus than anyone she'd ever met. No _he_ is different now. He would not fall into Dragon's pace, not again. This is a business deal and he will treat it as such.

"Follow me, I'll take you to see the ship." Without so much as a greeting, glad to be leaving now, Crocodile walks in front of Dragon, trying to breathe... trying to stay calm. Why does he feel like turning around and making sure he isn't dreaming? That the person he's avoided the most for nineteen, almost twenty years is walking right behind him, following him in this moment.

"It's been a long time, Dragon." he hears himself say, his voice surprisingly calm and collected in contrast to the thoughts running through his head at this moment.

  
"Yes." Dragon says quietly his deep voice low. "It seems time has been kind to you, Croe."

_Croe._ That nickname stops Crocodile in his tracks. It brings to the surface memories better left forgotten.

_*"Croe, did you steal that ring from the noble?" Dragon asked crossly._

_"No."_

_"Croe!"_

_"Come on, D, it looks good on my finger. He was a lousy bastard who didn't deserve something this nice." Crocodile said with a devious smile, holding up her hand to show of the golden ring._

_"How many times do I have to teach you about stealth? If you steal from them, they'll know we're watching them." Dragon explained. "Just because fancy things look good on you, doesn't mean you should-"_

_"So you admit that it's totally my style." She smiled. "What's the harm? It's not like you're ever gonna buy me a ring."_

_Dragon stiffened and turned away. "Just don't do it again."_

_Crocodile jumped down to the deck of the ship, where Dragon was standing, and lay down on the floor. "I can't help myself, D. I'm a pirate, and when it comes to treasure, I just can't help myself. After all, you're looking at the next Pirate King."_

_Dragon scoffed, and sat down next to her._

_"You really don't believe it do you?" Crocodile asked defiantly._

_"No, it's nothing like that." Dragon said. "I think you can make your dreams come true as you please."_

_"I can tell you don't believe me. You don't think that the next king of the pirates can be a woman, do you?" I_

_"I don't think that matters, it's your motives I'm questioning. Do you have the drive to bring a revolution into this world? I would welcome you with open arms as the King of the pirates." Dragon said matter of factly._

_Crocodile was amazed by how uptight he was and how serious he was about everything. It had admittedly been fun for Crocodile when they first met, pushing Dragon's buttons. To see that usually expressionless face narrowed in confusion as this young beautiful carefree female pirate followed him around, occasionally flirting with him. Dragon, who back then believed himself to be a lone champion of freedom, having experienced the suffocating confinement of being a marine, was reluctant to associate with her._

_But Crocodile was nothing if not consistent and persuasive (some might have dubbed her manipulative, but she was nothing of the sort.), Hell, this was the first time she'd not been able to get a man to worship her. It intrigued her._

_He intrigued her._

_And in time, she was able to turn his gaze toward her. After that, it was the two of them against the world, going around stealing from the rich to give to the poor, freeing slaves, encouraging underpaid workers to revolt among other things. But she knew Dragon had far greater ideals, far bigger dreams. She would tell anyone who asked that she was only using him to achieve her goal, but in truth, she was pulled in by his charisma, the spirit of a conquerer that he exuded. This scared her immersely because she was never one to submit to anyone, especially not a man._

_"When I become the King, I'm going to have the greatest military force in the world, I'm going to make the world government itself fear me." She laid her head on his lap. "You'll see, D. I'll stand on top of the red line so that the whole world bows to me."_

_Dragon, unlike his usual serious demeanor, chuckled, "Sure, I believe you. That would suit you just fine."_

_She could never tell if he meant it or not."Well, at least I know what I want. You're all over the place. At first, you were gonna try and save the world by working with the Marines, you know, taking down the world government from the inside. But now we're going around putting shitty lowlife nobles in their place. I don't see an end in site for you." She said looking up at him. His face, illuminated by the setting sun reflected in the gentle seawater, looked down at her._

_"I tried my father's way, it doesn't work for me. An indirect approach like that is completely useless. I'm going to build an army, an army strong enough to stand against the admirals, the celestial dragons and the five elders. An army to tear down the current system and rebuild a new one that favours the people." In that moment, Crocodile wanted nothing more than to stand beside this man, to walk with him as he achieved his dream, to see the world that Dragon wanted to create._

_"That's good." Crocodile said, to distract herself, "I can just use you then. After you tear down the world government, I'll stand on the ashes of all that and become your queen."_

_"I don't see you ever submitting to any man. If you please, I can create that world for you, and make you the King himself." Dragon said quietly._

_This was frustrating, Crocodile could never tell when he was joking or being serious. But she still kept those words in her heart, and allowed herself to fall in love in this cruel world._

_And oh, how cruel it was to her.*_

In present time, Crocodile blinks.

"Crocodile!" He snaps, trying to rid his mind of the memories that the name _Croe_ carries, and all the pain and weakness that _woman_ held. "That is my name!"

"Ah, right. My apologies. Habit." Dragon responds.

Since he is walking in front of him, Crocodile can't very well turn around and look to see what kind of facial expression Dragon has on. Habit? He can't believe that, after all, he looks nothing like the beautiful woman that Dragon created that name for.

Crocodile had always been against doing business with the Revolutionary army for obvious reasons, but a lot of things happened in the past two years, he was desperate for customers and they were paying. So he decided he would supply them with what they needed but only on the condition that he only deal with one person from the Revolutionary army. That had been the kid, Sabo. He was a fairly easy person to deal with, he didn't respond to threats and he always kept his word on deals, therefore business had always been smooth with the Revolutionary army. They always paid on time, and they were always satisfied with the service that he provided for whatever it is he was smuggling for them. So why, why this time were things different? Why suddenly has Dragon come here instead? 

'Shit.' Crocodile curses under his breath, trying to think of a way to stay calm. 'It's only for tonight, only for tonight.Tomorrow morning once he chooses which ships he wants, we'll part ways again. It's no big deal.' Crocodile repeats this to himself over and over again as he leads Dragon towards his ship.

"You didn't run away." Dragon observes from behind him, and Crocodile turns his head slightly to look at him for a brief moment. "I kept my back turned back there to give you that choice if you wanted to take it."

Crocodile snorts "I've never run from you. I sure as hell won't start now." He snaps as he leads the way to his ship.

When they arrive at the shipyard, Dragon glances at the large ship in front of him. "This can't be it." He frowns. "I'm sure Sabo said it was six smaller ships."

"This is mine. Get on. We need to start moving." Crocodile says stepping onto the ship as the few crewmen aboard bowed in greeting.

"Where are we going?" Dragon asks following him inside.

"I don't keep such big merchandise here. It'll take all night to reach the island where the ships are docked." Crocodile tells him. "You can make yourself comfortable. It's already nighttime."

" I see." Dragon says quietly.

"What do you need them for anyway? The kid wasn't specific so I wasn't sure whether to get battleships or what. You know what, you don't gotta tell me your secretive revolutionary business. Luckily, I have a wide variety that you can choose from." Crocodile says.

"We need the kind that blends in. It's for transporting refugees." Dragon tells him.

"Well, aren't y'all heroes." Crocodile mutters. He stops in front of a door. "Well this is where you will sleep. If you're hungry, the kitchen is the third door to your right. My room is the last one at the end of the corridor. We'll reach our destination in the morning. Goodnight." crocodile, despite denying it earlier, practically runs from him. He needs to catch his breath.

*

Crocodile downs a glass of whiskey and the feeling of it burning his throat is a satisfying distraction. Something aches inside him at the thought that he probably won't see Dragon again after this. He sighs, it was easier avoiding the man completely, compared to doing business with him.

"You still favour whiskey, I see." Dragon's voice says from the doorway, startling Crocodile. 

"Dragon, what are you-"

"I think it's good for us to settle our issues, don't you think?" He holds up another bottle of whiskey, no doubt from the kitchen. "May I come in?

Tongue-tied, Crocodile nods. Dragon sits across him and pours himself a glass as well as refilling Crocodile's now empty glass with whiskey.

Even though he said he wants to settle things, Dragon's not saying anything. As always, Crocodile makes the first move.

"It's funny, I thought that if I was to see you again, I would suck all the moisture out of your body and dry you up in revenge, until you die."

"Why haven't you?"

"I haven't ruled it out yet." Crocodile says honestly.

Dragon takes a sip of his whiskey and sets the glass down on the table. He looks up at Crocodile sitting across from him, and says, "I'm sorry."

"Why are you saying that now? Why didn't you say it when I needed to hear it the most?" Crocodile asks, anger inevitably rising in his chest. "You were only concerned with what you could do for me, that is- Hah... I don't care anymore..." 

"It wouldn't have changed anything."

"It would have changed a lot. I wouldn't hate you so much, I wouldn't have tried to kill that child!" Crocodile pauses. " I wouldn't have changed so much."

And then Dragon smiles, "You haven't changed one bit Croe."

Was that mockery, sarcasm? "I'm the complete opposite of the beautiful woman you fell in love with! So what, does this mean that after all this time I still look as weak as she was to you?" He asks.

"Weak? You have never been weak, Croe, never." Dragon says with such honesty , it takes Crocodile aback. "If you have changed at all, I guess it's the fact that the outside now reflects the inside."

Something inside Crocodile settles in place, some sort of relief he hasn't known he's been waiting for. Validation from this man. It makes him uneasy, so he thinks to himself, 'He always knew who I was on the inside, even back then he understood me. Even before I truly understood myself.' 

As if saying words that made Crocodile's heart flutter wasn't enough, Dragon continues, "Even though your features are rough around the edges now, there is still beauty in them. And anyway, it wasn't your beauty that I fell in love with."

Now Crocodile wants to shut down this conversation for good. It won't take them anywhere good. But instead he downs another glass of whiskey, asks, "What was it then that you fell in love with?"

"You were the first person to ever believe in my dream, even before I believed in it myself." Dragon tells him with such honesty, it hurts.

Crocodile wishes he hadn't asked. A warm feeling that he recognises all too well spreads from his heart and a longing, an ache for his younger self burns inside him, for the feelings she had and the tragedy that befell her.

"Then you shouldn't have abandoned me." he says quietly.

"No, I shouldn't have." Dragon answers sadly.

_*It was supposed to be a simple delivery mission. Crocodile was the best at those kinds of missions because she could be in and out swiftly. The Revolutionary Army at the time was just growing, with less than twenty members in it's ranks, on its way to starting the biggest mission yet. After months of persuasion, Dragon had finally managed to turn one of the ministers in the kingdom into their spy. The plan was to have Crocodile deliver him back to his kingdom discreetly, so he could pass information to the Revolutionary Army for months to enable them to overthrow the kingdom._

_But the mission went terribly wrong._

_Crocodile was caught, after she had escorted the spy to his kingdom. She was interrogated harshly but she couldn't risk all their work going to naught, so she kept her lips closed. She was weak and defenseless against them, her only weapon a small pocketknife she kept hidden in her bra. The result was that she was thrown into a cold dark dungeon, bordered all over by sea prism stone, along with the country's prisoners of war._

_No one came to rescue her._

_Not for another six months._

_By that time, she had almost come to term with the baby that she hadn't known she had been carrying when she got arrested. It's not like she didn't know that there was no way Dragon could afford to spare anyone to come rescue her. She knew. She also knew that even if he could, he would not risk compromising this mission in order to save one person. She knew all that, and yet, in the first couple of weeks she kept hoping he would come, waiting for him to come and save her. As the weeks turned into months and her body grew weaker as she had to support two lives on stale prison food and forced labour, she started to loathe her own weakness. But she morphed that self loathing into hatred for Dragon. That hatred kept her alive amidst a sea of depression, loneliness and torture. She survived._

_Dragon only came to rescue her on the day that they were overthrowing the kingdom. The look of utter shock and fear on his face when he saw her lying on the floor, dirty, malnourished and heavily pregnant was satisfying._

_"You... You're..." For once, he was lost for words._

_"Croco-chan? What in the world-" Iva exclaimed, as he arrived with Dragon._

_"What are you two gawking at? You gonna throw me a baby shower or some shit?" Crocodile snapped. "My water just fucking broke."_

_"I should have come earlier." Dragon said._

_"Fuck you!" Crocodile screamed at him._

_Iva, instead of freaking out, ran around the prison guards quarters and brought some towels._

_"We... We should get her out of here- somewhere.." Dragon started, speaking for the first time in a while._

_"There's a war going on outside, Dragon. We can't get her out for a while, we won't be able to reach a hospital for hours if we're fighting all the way." Iva said, laying down the towels. "I'll help deliver the baby, then-"_

_"No. I'll do it." Dragon said. "You go stand guard outside the prison. Don't let anyone in."_ _Iva looked like he would protest, but decided against it with a sigh._

_In all honesty, Crocodile didn't care which of them did it. She was in so much pain that she wanted nothing more than to die._

_All she could remember was pain, bleeding, crying and cursing Dragon. Dragon repeatedly saying, "It's okay, you'll be okay."_

_And then it was over, the pain replaced by a strange sense of numbness and apathy. Crocodile heard a baby cry, but she could not care less. The entire floor was red with blood, and Dragon wiped as much as he could from both her and the tiny thing he was holding._

_The baby stopped crying but Crocodile's body was numb and she knew that there were tears flowing down her face even though she could not feel them. It was like she was watching herself from the inside, barely breathing, barely holding on._

_"It's a boy." Dragon said and handed the child over to her. It was wrapped in a towel, and it was the ugliest thing she'd ever seen._

_She didn't know why but she was possessed with sudden rage and she wanted nothing more than to destroy this thing that had been growing inside her, making her grow weaker and weaker and feel like she was losing herself._

_"Do you expect me to be happy?" She asked Dragon. "Well I suppose this is a happy occasion for you. Six months after abandoning me, you're suddenly faced with good news. You must be happy. You have a son, and the revolution that you cast me aside for appears to have been successful. Ah, you must be thrilled!" She shouted._

_"Croe, I know that you must hate me more than anyone else in the world right now-"_

_"Hate you? I only regret that there is no word stronger than that I can use. I am trembling with the desire to kill you right now, you have no idea." She screamed._

_He seemed to be out of his element too, "I know, okay, I understand...no, I don't understand... I can't even begin to imagine everything you went through."_

_While she knew he was trying to apologise, she couldn't stand for it. "What a foolish thing that is to say. Look at you, the almighty leader of the growing revolution! The man at the helm of what the world government thinks will soon be the most threatening organisation they have faced." She laughed. "What do they call you? A demon, don't they? That's exactly what you are."_

_"Croe, I'll get you to a hospital, we can talk after."_

_"Everything that stands in the way of your dreams, you discard. Me, oh, and this poor thing." She looks down at the baby she's holding. "Do you think you can save the world carrying him on your back? No, he'll hold you back, D."_

_"Croe-"_

_But she was not done. Six months of madness and frustration were flowing from her. "Everything you touch slowly dies!" Crocodile screamed. "Look at me! Do you think this thing's gonna have a normal life being born from a demon like you and a weakling like me? It's not! In fact I'm going to put it out of its misery before you can abandon it for holding you back!"_

_She grabbed her hidden pocketknife, and Dragon cried, "Croe, stop!" But she was driven insane by the events of the past six months. Everything she'd been holding onto, was threatening to break her apart and all she could think of was that if she killed this baby, it would be better off than growing up as Dragon's son._

_She raised the knife, ready to stab it and put it out of its misery._

_"Crocodile!!"_

_Suddenly, the hand holding the knife dropped to the floor and where it previously was, only blood flowed from her wrist._

_"You.." she said looking up at Dragon in disbelief. "You cut off-"_

_"I can't let you do this."_

_"You cut off my hand!" she said dumbfounded. Why? Why couldn't she feel it? She was sure it should be painful, she was bleeding out like crazy. Dragon grabbed the child, taking it away from Crocodile and wrapping it in his coat. He took the towel that it was previously in, and tied that around Crocodile's wrist._

_"I'm sorry, I panicked. I could have handled that better." Dragon apologized, but Crocodile was not listening. She was completely overwhelmed both in mind and body. "I'll take you to Ivankov, he can fix you up,"_

_"No," Crocodile said. "I am done, Dragon. What do you think you're gonna do for that child, letting it live? Are you going to raise it on your ship among soldiers as you move around from battlefield to battlefield? You want to raise your son in the middle of gunfire? Is that what you want for him? He's better off dead!"_

_"I know you're tired and you're overwhelmed. I understand that the past 6 months have been extremely stressful for you, I can fix that. I'll take you back Ivankov will make your hormonal imbalance-"_

_"I'm sick of it, Dragon, sick of this weak body. I can't do anything." She cried._

_"Tell me what I can do for you. Please, Croe, tell me." Dragon practically begged._

_"There is nothing you can do for me, because honestly, if this body wasn't so weak, I would kill that child, kill you and kill myself with it. So you better count yourself lucky that I'm so weak that I can barely stand, because this is the last time that you will ever see me like this." She stood up, bleeding all over the floor._

_"At least let Iva treat you first." Dragon said quietly._

_"Don't worry, he will. In fact he'll do a lot more than that for me." She answered. "You've_ _taught me something important about this world, it's cruel and the only way to survive it is to be even more cruel than it is. After all, that is exactly how you've been to me." She started to walk away, step-by-step, not registering the pain as she walked away from him._

_"We can raise him together." Dragon said, his voice barely audible. "We'll go somewhere quiet, a remote village, in a remote island..."_

_"As if you could ever abandon your cause._ _The next time we meet, let's pretend we don't know each other. I'm going to get myself a stronger body, I'm sick of following your dreams, Dragon, it's time I follow my own. Goodbye, and good luck with raising your fucking son." She limped away._ *

Crocodile stiffens, trying to discard thoughts of the past from his mind.

"Do you still hate me?" Dragon asks quietly while observing him.

Crocodile sighs, "I think I would hate you more if it wasn't for the child." He says. "And what kind of a name is Luffy anyway?"  
  


"I didn't name him, my father did. I was afraid if I gave him a name, I'd get too attached." He replies. "Some father I am."

"At least you didn't try to kill him. I did. Not once, not twice but four times, even when he was a baby." Crocodile looks down.

"You also saved his life at Marineford. That's when you found out who he was, right?"

"Monkey D. Luffy. I had my suspicions in the ample time I had in Impel down, but yes, marineford confirmed it for me." Crocodile says. "Anyway, you saved his life too, at Loguetown."

"Yeah, but I have never actually met him." Dragon points out.

"Does your father know? About me?" Crocodile pours himself another glass.

"No, only you and I, and I guess Iva knows too now. He'd thought your baby died, and he's the one who changed you, so he should have put two and two together." Dragon says.

"That's ok, let's leave it like this. When you meet Luffy, if he asks about his mother, tell him she died. It's not that far from the truth." Crocodile swirls the drink in the glass.

"Ae you sure?"

"Hmm. He's grown up well." Crocodile stares at his glass. "You offered me a chance for us to raise him together, a simple life in a remote village, on a remote island, but I refused. After that, after leaving you, I became a man and I told myself I was much stronger, so I ventured into the New World, only to suffer crushing defeat from Whitebeard." He looks up. "So then, what did I give the two of you up for? It's better this way."

Dragon sighs, "If that's what you want, I guess..." and then he has another question, "When you met him, before you knew he was our son, what was it like?"

"I tried to kill him, he reminded me of you with his stupid ideals and unrelenting nature. I probably channelled my hate for you at him."

"I see." Dragon stands up. "I'm glad we got to talk. I'll go get some sleep now." he says as he walks out the door.

Crocodile hesitates before he asks, "Do you regret it, us?"

"We built the army together, we had Luffy together... the only thing I regret is not coming to save you earlier." Dragon answers.

His grip on the glass tightens as Crocodile says, "Don't bullshit me, D. You always choose your mission above everything else."

"That's why I regret it, because I would do it again. I chose the army over you, I chose the army over Luffy. I regret it, but I will always choose the army first. Even now."

"You're an asshole, you know that?" Crocodile says, and he looks down.

"I know, but every other moment I spent with you, I don't regret it. Goodnight Crocodile."

And Dragon leaves him an emotional mess.

*

Crocodile stands on the deck of the ship, as dawn breaks. He can see the small island where the ships are docked now. A pang hits his chest at the thought that this might be the last time he ever sees Dragon. He should have kept it buried. All the feelings that he'd convinced himself were hatred in the past, now shone brightly in his heart as the opposite of that. The conversation he'd had with Dragon the previous night had helped him shelve and put everything back in place.

He understands himself more now.

He stares down at the sea in melancholy, and turns around when he hears footsteps approach.

"Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Morning." Dragon responds. "Yes, I was quite comfortable, thank you."

"Good news, there is the island, so we'll be parting soon." Crocodile says.

"Croe-"

"Huh! Well, I guess it's a good thing that we cleared things up, you know. It was a happy coincidence that you came instead of the kid, now we've got no bad blood between us, isn't that nice? We can part on good terms now." He just keeps babbling, because if he doesn't, he might keep on wishing last night would come again, and again and again. That he would spend more time with Dragon.

"I lied." Dragon drags him back to the present.

"What?"

"I purposely chose for Sabo to go to Dressrosa this week, so I could come here instead." Dragon informs him.

This throws Crocodile off for a second. "But, why?"

"Because I wanted to see you. I missed you."

And it is those words that finally open up Crocodile's heart. He feels it beat wildly inside him, and a giddy feeling takes over his brain. Dragon moves closer, and it is all Crocodile can do to hold on to the edge of the ship.

"What's your game, Dragon? What kind of joke are you making?" He asks.

"I don't have much of a sense of humour, and I don't play games. I'm serious." His face certainly seems so, as Dragon places his hand on Crocodile's waist, trapping him between himself and the ship's railing .

It's suddenly hot. Crocodile should be used to the heat, but he can't bear it. His heart is out of control, his breathing unsteady.

"D... Dragon..." Crocodile breathes. ' _Don't. We can't do this.'_ he wants to say. But the words don't come out. Instead, he finds himself closing his eyes, breathing in the scent of a cold wind as Dragon inches closer. He can feel his breath on his neck, and it sends shivers down Crocodile's spine. The kiss that follows makes him delirious. Like he's been craving this for twenty years, fueling the passion that runs deep inside of him, and he wants more.

Crocodile feels like he is being swept uncontrollably into Dragon's tumultuous storm of a life again. He feels helpless to detach himself from it, feels uneasy about the prospect of losing this again. And in that moment, he feels like that weak woman, being dragged helplessly around by the feelings he apparently still has for this man.

When they finally pull apart, Crocodile covers his lips with his trembling hands. "You're an asshole, you know that?" He spits.

"I know I'm selfish. I'm sorry." Dragon says and then turns around to leave. "It was nice seeing you, Croe."

Before he can stop himself, Crocodile grabs on to Dragon's arm. "I know you never made me any promises... But after you're done saving the world, after all the wars... can I... Can we..."

Dragon doesn't turn around. "I thought you wanted to be king."

"I'm satisfied enough with our son being king."

"Very well." Dragon smiles. "If I survive the war to save the world, then...if you want a house in some remote village on a remote island, a quiet life raising kids..."

Crocodile lets go of his arm. "Don't come late this time. I'll be waiting."


End file.
